Revenge
by IwillmarryJustinTimberlake
Summary: Ben Stryker wants revenge on the X-men that left his father and brother to die...
1. Default Chapter

Hey guys! Welcome to my X-men fic 'Revenge'. I hope you like it. Please r/r. This is the first time I have attempted an X-men fic, so sorry if they are OOC.   
  
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the X-men, although I wish I owned Wolverine **drools** I only own the basic plot line and the characters I made up called 'Vapor' and 'Darkside'.   
  
This fic is dedicated to Koburn, Hyperly Mad and Soul Eater and takes place after the events of the second movie.   
  
Oh and since I'm not quite sure what Rogue's proper name is, I just named her Marie Rogue, because she says her name is Marie in X-men 1.   
  
~*~*~* Revenge ~*~*~*  
  
The figure appeared so suddenly on the quiet street that, if anyone were around, they would have thought he'd walked right out of the thin air. The figure looked up at the dark sky, to the full moon. He could feel its energy radiating through him, giving him strength. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the cold air. His eyes snapped open, the pupils now a vibrant shade of red. His head snapped from side to side. An X-men was close, he could feel it. His eyes narrowed.  
  
Further down the street, Scott Summers was walking home. Although it was night, and a very dark one at that, he wore a pair of black glasses. Scott hummed to himself quietly. It was too quite tonight. He couldn't wait to get home and see… nobody. He swallowed hard, trying to push the lonely, empty feeling away from him.   
  
He started walking faster. But suddenly, something punched him in the face, smashing his glasses away as he staggered sideways. Scott shut his eyes as tightly as he could, rubbing his jaw. If he didn't, he'd blast half the street away.   
  
Another fist hit his face, making him twist round. He felt a foot kick him hard in the back, pushing him to the floor. Scott swung his fist wildly but couldn't feel a thing.  
  
He found his glasses by trailing his hands on the floor and put them on just in time to see a blast of black lightning rage towards him. It smashed into his stomach, pain souring through his body. Scott was blasted off his feet, flung through the air and smashed into a lamppost, sliding to floor unconscious.   
  
The figure stepped out from the wall of a nearby building and walked slowly to Scott's limp body. A smile tugged on his lips.  
  
"One down, six to go."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Is he going to be alright?" Marie Rogue looked up from Scott, a look of concern creasing her pretty face. The man beside her shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Probably." He grunted. "If he dies, do you think I can have his bike?"  
  
"That's not funny, Logan." Rogue frowned, giving Logan a withering look. Logan snorted.  
  
"Just trying to lighten the mood. He'll be ok, kid, don't worry about him."  
  
"Who do you think did this?" Rogue lifted up the sheets at the side of the bed, exposing huge burn marks on Scott's chest.   
  
"Someone who messes around with fire by the looks of it…" Logan's eyes darkened.  
  
"You think Pyro did this?"  
  
"Why not? That kid was wacko." Logan shook his head. "Remember at Bobby's house when he went mad?"  
  
"But why would he want to hurt Scott?" Rogue pushed the lock of white hair out of her eyes, trying to think of a reason.  
  
"Didn't you hear me? That kid was wacko." Logan repeated.   
  
"Pyro didn't do this." A new voice came from behind Logan. Turning around, he saw Professor Charles Xavier roll into the room in his wheelchair. The florescent lights of the medical center reflected off his bald head.   
  
"How do you know?" Logan moved aside so the professor could get closer to Cyclops.   
  
"I helped Pyro develop his fire throwing skills." Xavier examined the scorch marks that ran up Scott's stomach. "I saw the results of his powers plenty of times, and this is different."  
  
"It looks like a lightning burn to me." Rogue shrugged. "Like Storm's. But obviously Storm wouldn't do this." She paused. "Does it look familiar to you, professor?"  
  
"Vaguely." Xavier answered, avoiding her eyes. He sighed. "Cyclops may have seen his attacker, when he comes around, we'll ask him."  
  
Logan watched him roll out of the room and couldn't help feeling as though there was something he hadn't been telling him. "If he comes around." He added quietly.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Help me…"  
  
The boy rushed forward, but the snow blew harder, pushing him backwards. Ahead of him, he could see his father, chained tightly to a wall. One chain was wrapped around his head, so only one eye peered at his son, who was pushing his way through the snow towards him. "Ben, help me…" The father whispered.  
  
"I'm coming father." Ben struggled against the wind, his white blond hair pushed back from his face, his eyes stinging like hell. His hand was an inch away from his father, but before he could reach him, a flash of steely blades swiped at his arm, drawing long lines of blood along his pale skin.  
  
Ben staggered backwards, holding his arm. Infront of him was a handsome man with his dark hair done up in two messy horns on the side of his head. Three long blades slid from each hand. An X-men.  
  
The X-men sprung forward, slamming Ben to the floor and thrusting the blades deep into his chest.  
  
Ben awoke from his dream with a start. He was breathing heavily, cold sweat running down his body. He looked around his office, realizing he'd fallen asleep in his chair. Hatred burned in his chest, the nightmare still pulsing through his mind. He shook his head roughly.   
  
"What's wrong with me!" He shouted.   
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing." A pair of eyes floated by him. Ben blinked his eyes and a girl slowly faded into view. Mel Sweeney leant against the wall, smiling down at him with her arms folded across her chest.   
  
"What are you doing here?"   
  
"The X-men you attacked last night-"  
  
"-I know, I know, autographs this way please." Ben swiveled around in his chair smugly.  
  
"No, master. He's alive."   
  
"What?!" Ben stopped spinning his chair, his eyes wide.  
  
Mel nodded solemnly, her dark hair falling into her eyes. "This Cyclops guy. You didn't kill him. He and his X-men buddies are at Xavier's school right now." She grinned. "I can't believe you didn't manage to kill him. They must be tougher than you think."  
  
Ben's eyes flashed. "Don't mess with me, Darkside. I can still kick the shit out of you."   
  
"Ok, master, chill!" Mel held her hands up innocently. "You don't have to fry me just for that."   
  
"They're all cowards." Ben swung in his chair again. "We need to get to that school."   
  
"Do you even know where it is?"  
  
"Of course I do, Darky. I lived there."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Professor Xavier stared out of his study window, not really focusing on anything outside. He had known this would come ever since they left William Stryker chained to a piece of Alkali Lake wall.   
  
Ben Stryker wanted revenge. Xavier himself had taught both Ben and Jason Stryker. Jason had the power to project images, hallucinations into people's minds. Although he was very powerful, Xavier couldn't help him develop.   
  
But Ben was different. He had the power to turn himself semi-transparent, enabling him to pass through almost any surface, even people. He called himself 'Vapor'. The only problem was, Ben developed too fast and started to use his powers against other mutants. His power made him almost invincible, as whenever someone went to touch him, he simply turned transparent. He eventually fled the school and Xavier never heard from him again.  
  
And now he wanted revenge on the X-men that had left his father to be washed away when Alkali lake damn exploded and had left his brother to die in the crumbling Cerebro. Xavier counted them in his head: himself, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Iceman and Cyclops. Cyclops was already badly hurt and he could tell that it was only a matter of time before the next attack.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
Logan opened the bottle of Budweiser, trying to look inconspicuous. Bobby Drake didn't even need to look up from his book.  
  
"You're not allowed alcohol in the school." He said tonelessly. Logan ignored him. Bobby held up his hand and a blast of ice knocked the bottle out of Logan's hand and into the bin.  
  
"Very funny." Logan snapped Bobby's book closed and at opposite him. "So."  
  
"So." Bobby nodded, waiting for more conversation. Logan thought for a few seconds, trying to think what to say.  
  
"So… how's it goin' with you and Rogue?" He asked finally. Bobby blushed.  
  
"It's going… well… good." He looked at the hard wooden surface of the table. "I haven't been able to actually… kiss her properly yet…"  
  
Logan glanced away, wishing he'd never asked. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'm sure you'll be able to -" He stopped speaking, his ears pricking up. Bobby peered at him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Shh!" Logan held up a hand for silence. He was sure he could hear footsteps and they sounded close. He stood up, the long blades slicing trough the skin of each hand like claws. He turned to Bobby. "Wait here."  
  
"Yeah…" Bobby took a step back, eyeing the door. Logan disappeared around the corner leaving him alone.   
  
Or he thought alone.  
  
A noise made him spin around, his heart pounding. But there was nothing there. He grabbed the nearest thing he could find, which was a bottle opener, and inched towards the door. Logan told him to stay there, but screw that plan, he had to get out of there.   
  
The door slammed shut, once again making him jump. Bobby wrenched on the handle but it was locked.   
  
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end in the horrible feeling that someone was behind him. He turned around slowly and found himself face to face with… a pair of floating, dark eyes. This wasn't what he was expecting… he frowned and blinked. But then a girl's face was appearing around the eyes, swimming slowly into view. She had camouflaged into the wooden paneling of the cupboards behind her. She smiled at him.  
  
"Boo." She jerked forward and punched Bobby in the face, sending him reeling backwards into the door. Then she disappeared into the flowery pattern of the wallpaper. Bobby held his hands up, ready to freeze her when she appeared again. A flowery arm struck him in the stomach harder than a sledgehammer, making him double up.   
  
"Logan!" Bobby screamed as a knee smashed into his face, making him fall over onto his back. He watched a knife seemingly raised itself out of the knife rack opposite him. The girl fully appeared again, walking towards him with the knife in her hand. Bobby lifted his arm, sending a blast of ice towards her. It froze her hand in mid-stab, giving Bobby enough time to stand up and turn her into a living ice sculpture.   
  
"I'll take that…" He pulled the knife out of her hand, using it to pick the lock. Without a second look, he sprinted to the professors' study, not daring to look over his shoulder.  
  
Logan, Rogue, Ororo Munroe and Professor Xavier all turned to look as he belted into the room.  
  
"What is it, Bobby?" Rogue walked over to him, helping him into a chair.   
  
"Their here." Bobby panted.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Well, I hope you all enjoyed my first chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it! I enjoy anything with Wolverine in it… **drools again** Poor Cyclops, mwuhahahahahaaaa!  
  
I think they are all pretty much in character, but that might just be me. It will get more exciting I promise. Or I hope.  
  
Ben Stryker is modeled off a brilliant author and one of my best Internet friends called Koburn.  
  
Darkside is modeled off Soul Eater, another fantastic author and lovely person.   
  
Please r/r and come back to read the next chapter!  
  
Taz 


	2. Cerebro attacked

Welcome to the next chapter of 'Revenge'. I hope you like it. Please r/r!  
  
Disclaimer: yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't own this, I don't own that. The only things I own are Vapor and Darkside… **cough** and Wolverine… **disclaimer holds gun against head** Ok, I don't own Wolverine either… damn. Can't I just own Hugh Jackman without the claws? **Disclaimer tightens gun** I'll take that as a no.   
  
Enjoy.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Did you manage?" Ben Stryker looked up as Darkside entered the corridor. She shook her head.  
  
"Trust me to pick the one that can turn me into a living ice sculpture." She sighed, flicking her hair out of her pretty face. Ben rolled his eyes and turned back to the circular shaped door. The bright lights of the corridor shone into Darkside's eyes and she squinted to see what Ben was doing. He was bent in front of the door, looking at a light blue crystal set into the heart of it. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm trying to figure out how to open the damn door, what does it look like?" He snapped, prodding the crystal.  
  
"What's behind it?"  
  
"Cerebro."  
  
"What's a Cerebro?" Darkside bent down beside him.   
  
"It's a machine, connected to the brain waves of every mutant and human being on the planet."  
  
"Can't we just hide from it?"  
  
"No, duh. Even if we found a place to hide, Xavier and that egghead of his would be able to track us down. If I can find a way to destroy it, we could hide right under his nose, and he'd never find us." Ben sighed and stood up. "Stand back." Darkside stepped back as Ben pulled out a small black gun, holding it up to the lock. A bolt of black lightning crackled from the end, blowing the jewel out of its place. The doors hissed and opened slowly.  
  
"Nice move…" Darkside grinned. The room beyond the door was huge and dome shaped, with a long thin platform leading down to a small table. On the table was a headset with tubes snaking into the small table. Lights lit the sides of the platform line a runway. "Wow…" Darkside followed Ben down the platform, their footsteps echoing off the vast, paneled walls. When she looked down from the platform, she couldn't even see the bottom.  
  
Ben held the lightning gun up again, sending a wave of charged electricity towards the helmet, blasting the wires off the it. The helmet itself stayed relatively unscathed. He picked it up. "Let's just take this." He tossed the helmet into the air and caught it. "He can't exactly plug himself into those wires."  
  
Darkside wrinkled her nose. "He could have picked a more groovy headset."   
  
Neither of the villains saw the black cat slink around the door. It looked up at them accusingly, its dark green eyes narrowed. With a flick of the tail, it hid behind the doorframe as the dynamic duo left Cerebro, the doors sliding shut behind them.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
"What happened to me?" Scott Summers opened his eyes, the dark glasses once again covering them. "I feel like I got hit by lightning."  
  
"You did." Logan shrugged. Scott looked up at him, frowning. "What you giving me the evil eye for? Its true."  
  
"It is true, Scott." Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm, checked over Scott's burn marks again. "Did you see who did this to you?"  
  
"It looked like a ghost." Scott rubbed his head. "It was a boy, but I could see through him. I tried to hit him but it was like hitting air."  
  
"So it was this Vapor guy then?" Logan glanced at Storm. She brushed her long white hair off her shoulders.   
  
"By the looks of it. But Bobby said that his attacker was a female."  
  
"Its all the same with these new bad guys. They always come with an evil sidekick." Logan snorted, turning away to look at Scott's X-ray's. "Damn, he never broke a bone."  
  
"Well, I don't know who this girl is, but I think we should never go anywhere alone from now on. You pee, I pee, got it?"  
  
"Got it. But don't make me go with him." Logan nodded at Scott who scowled back.   
  
"No one could fit in the same room as you with the size of your attitude problem." He hissed. Logan furiously ripped off one of the wires that were stuck to Scott's bare chest. Scott yelped.   
  
"Stop it, both of you." Storm put her hand lightly on Scott's shoulder, sticking the wire back to his chest. "We need to work together. Can't you just put your differences aside for two minutes?"  
  
"Hmmm… maybe one minute." Scott turned away from him, which was fine by Logan. The medical unit door opened and Bobby, Rogue and Professor Xavier joined them, Bobby holding Rogue's gloved hand.  
  
"They've trashed Cerebro." Rogue said immediately, worry lines creasing her face. Bobby squeezed her hand.   
  
"They can't get far." He replied reassuringly. "They obviously don't know the professor's power."   
  
The black cat appeared, creeping into the room. She looked up at them all with her unblinking oval eyes.   
  
"Ah, Josie." Xavier smiled at the cat. "Did you find them."  
  
"They went towards the lift, but I'm afraid there was no way I could follow them in without them seeing me." The cat replied. Logan blinked at it.  
  
"You can talk?" He asked quizzically. "What kind of mutant cat are you?"  
  
"I'm a student." The cat's answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
"What's your name? Pussycat Whilom?"   
  
"For your information, you overgrown dog, its Josie." The Josie cat turned on her heel, tail in the air. Scott grinned.  
  
"I like her." He ignored Logan's stony glare. "'Overgrown dog'… I can use that."  
  
"As I was saying to Logan and Scott, we need to stay together from now on." Storm spoke up. "Are the rest of the students safe?"  
  
"Yes, I told them to go down to the shelter on the ground floor." Xavier nodded. "They'll be safe there."   
  
Logan looked around him. "Hey, where's the blue guy?" He asked.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Kurt Wagner opened another oak door, peering through the crack.   
  
'How typical,' he thought, 'I shut my eyes vor ten minuten and zhe next zhing I know I can't find zhe others.'   
  
He shut the door and teleported to the next one in a puff of blue wispy smoke then looked down the corridor at the remaining doors he was yet to try. There must have been about 20 on that corridor alone. He sighed heavily and went to open the door. But his hand hit against something. He frowned, his yellow eyes blinking in confusion. Then a pair of dark brown eyes appeared in front of his own. He yelped, moving backwards as Darkside melted into view. Kurt took a step away from her and hit into something solid. He turned around and a hand clenched around his neck. He coughed and choked as Ben gripped Kurt's throat tighter, holding him nose to nose.  
  
"You could have saved him." Ben hissed, looking into the terrified Nightcrawler's eyes. "You saved Xavier. You saved Storm. But you didn't save Jason." Nightcrawler tried to teleport himself, but he couldn't get enough energy as Ben was cutting off his air supply. Ben glanced up and down the hall, grinning. "And now, who's gonna save you?"  
  
"Me." Ben turned his head, only to be met by a fist in the nose. He yelled and let go of Kurt, who rubbed his neck and teleported a safer distance away. Ben snapped his head up, holding his nose. Logan glared back at him, the blades sliding out from each hand again. Ben's eyes turned the most vivid red he had ever seen.   
  
"You…" Ben whispered, his eyes flashing as he stood up. "From the dream…"  
  
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, kid." Logan held the blades up. "So I'll just kick your ass."  
  
He lunged out, ready to plunge the knifes into any part of Ben he could manage… but he traveled right through him. He spun around. Ben's body had turned completely white and Logan could see through him to the surprised Nightcrawler hiding behind a bookcase behind him. Only Ben's eyes remained red, burning with hatred. "Oh, so now I see why they call you Vapor."   
  
Vapor held up a small gun, pressing it against Logan's head. That too had turned white and transparent. But as he pulled the trigger, sending out a bullet of electricity, Logan ducked, taking another swipe with the blades.  
  
"Don't you people ever learn?" Vapor asked mockingly as they passed through him. "Or have all those bumps to the head damaged the little brain power you had?" He lashed out, punching Logan on the jaw. Logan didn't even have time to move as Vapor delivered a fury of attacks. Nightcrawler stared forwards but an invisible foot kicked him back, smashing him into the bookcase he was hiding behind. Books cascaded down onto his head.  
  
A spinning kick to the stomach sent Logan sailing through a pair of glass doors, showering him with sharp shards. Vapor walked forward ready to finish the job, but his shoulder hit a jagged piece of glass that still hung in the doorframe. He jerked as if he'd been shot and a long line of blood trailed across his shoulder.   
  
"Can't walk through glass, huh?" Logan asked, grabbing the biggest shard he could find. "Ooo… I think I just found your weakness, pal." Vapor backed away, then fled through the opposite wall. Logan shook his head. "Why do the always run?" He turned to Kurt who stood looking slightly guilty. "Thanks for the help."   
  
"Sorry…" Kurt twisted his tail in his hands guiltily. Something hit him in the back, sending him reeling forwards onto Logan.  
  
"What the hell's going on?" Logan pushed him off.   
  
"Vapor came viz a girl." Nightcrawler glanced around him. "She must be a chameleon."  
  
Darkside appeared suddenly, punched Logan in the side of the head and camouflaged again, giggling.   
  
"I can see that." Logan answered, the blades shooting out. His ears pricked up and he sniffed the air.  
  
"Vat are you-"  
  
"- Shh…" Logan held up a claw for silence. He stood statue still, sniffing the air again. Then he spun around and thrust his blades towards a wall. They plunged into something solid. Darkside screamed in pain and appeared, her body turning a variety of different colors and patterns. Logan pulled the blades out of her stomach and she collapsed onto the floor, blood soaking through her jumper. Kurt knelt beside her, pressing his fingers to her neck.   
  
"She still alive." His still looked shocked that Logan had known where she was. Logan picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. Kurt winced, actually looking sorry for her.  
  
"Don't get too attached, Kurt." Logan shook his head. His blades returned into his skin, the gashes healing instantly. "Come on, we'd better get her to the doc. Maybe she can help us find this Vapor guy."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Ta-daa! Ooo, I liked that chapter, even if I say so myself. Hope you did to.  
  
Josie Cat was modeled off Hyperly Mad, a close friend of mine and the best CC/S writer ever. She's obviously not really a cat.  
  
I hope Vapor and Darky aren't too Mary Sue. I tried to give them big weaknesses so they're not perfect. The people they are modeled off are perfect though ^^  
  
Thanks so much to the people who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Its people like you who make writing fics worth all the writers block and broken nails I get from my damn keyboard…   
  
Keep reading!  
  
Taz 


	3. The medical room

Chapter 3, woohoo! I hope you like it!  
  
Disclaimer: Jeez, do I have to say this EVERY chapter? Grrr… ok, I don't own the X-men.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Darkside's eyes flickered open. Seven swirly blobs looked down at her. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The Seven blobs turned into seven faces. Seven X-men faces.  
  
"Hey there." Storm spoke, her long white hair tied up off her face. Darkside panicked, trying to camouflage into the bed she was laid on. But a searing pain shot through her stomach, totally taking her breath away. Looking down, she saw that someone had placed a bandage over her wounds. "Are you feeling ok?" Storm tried again to make conversation.   
  
"Why are you being so nice to her?" Logan hissed, glaring down at her. "She tried to kill me."  
  
"I did not." Darkside snapped, nodding at her wounds. "I'd say it was the other away around."   
  
"Wolverine has a short temper." Storm explained.  
  
"I do not!" Logan snapped again. The others ignored him.   
  
"Can you tell us your name please?" Rogue asked. Darkside looked her up and down distastefully.   
  
"Mel." She answered finally.   
  
"Ok, Mel." Scott adjusted his glasses. "We need to ask you a few questions."  
  
"Like…"  
  
"Who's that freak you came with?" Logan cut back in. Darkside lowered her head, keeping her mouth tightly shut.  
  
"What we really want to know, Mel, is where Ben is." Professor Xavier rolled closer to the side of the bed. "I have tried to track him, but he must be using the helmet from Cerebro to keep me away."  
  
"I can't." Darkside answered simply.  
  
"We just want to know if he's hiding in the school or not." Scott asked. "To know if the children are safe."  
  
Darkside eyed them all carefully. "You know, wolf-man here's right… why are you being so nice to me? Why didn't you just leave me to die?"  
  
"We don't leave people to die out of cold blood." Xavier shook his head. Both Darkside and Logan snorted.   
  
"Try telling Ben that." She muttered. "You left his family to die."  
  
"We're not gonna get any information out of her." Logan said, stepping closer. "And we sure as hell can't let her go back to that lunatic. What're we gonna do with her instead?"  
  
"Logan…" Rogue frowned at him and turned back to Darkside. "Isn't there anything you can tell us? We're not going to hurt you… again."   
  
But Darkside shut her mouth and rolled over away from them, ignoring the pain in her stomach. Her eyes fell on Nightcrawler, who had been silent for the whole conversation. He gave her a nervous smile and Darkside was sure that, if his skin hadn't been blue, he'd be blushing.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
Ben paced up and down the vacant room that he was using as a hiding place for that day. He would change rooms each day so that the X-men couldn't find him. It was a good job the school was so large.   
  
He knew that Darkside was still alive, he'd stuck around long enough to watch Wolverine take her to the medical unit. He would wait until it was night, then it would probably be safe to go down to her. Even with his powers, it would be hard to survive an attack from all of the X-men at once, especially now that Wolverine found out about his potentially fatal weakness.   
  
He continued to pace, adjusting the silver helmet he'd stolen from Cerebro. This would keep the silly old fool out of his mind.   
  
It was very quiet in the part of the school he'd been hiding in. He knew Xavier had evacuated the children to a safer part of the building. But he knew where it was. He had followed a student there after destroying Cerebro. The student, who could turn into a cat, hadn't known that he and Darkside had been there, behind her the entire time. The security there was extremely advanced and it would be hard to get through it. He wished the students themselves no harm, but they would provide terrific bait to lure the X-men with.   
  
But first thing to do, get Darkside back. Without her, getting past the security systems would be a lot trickier.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Why are you keeping her alive?" Logan hissed, storming up and down Professor Xavier's study.   
  
"Can't you think of the simple answer yourself, Wolverine?" Xavier sat behind his desk, patiently watching him over the tops of his fingertips.   
  
"The simple answer is, we don't need her." Logan growled, leaning forward over the professor's desk. "Look. I'm not saying kill her, I'm saying give her to the police."  
  
"Oh yes, give her to the police. But if I give her to the police, they will want to know why. If I tell them that there is a dangerous mutant loose in my school, they will take the children away from me. And there is a chance they will find out this is a school for mutants and shut it down. Now do you understand why I'm keeping her alive here?"  
  
Logan shook his head quietly. Xavier leaned forward in his wheelchair.  
  
"To lure Ben to us." He said obviously.  
  
"Oooooh!" Logan nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "I get it now!"  
  
~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Nightcrawler stole another quick glance at her from across the medical room. She was beautiful. Her hair was dark brown, tied back in a messy ponytail. Her eyes were oval and a deep chocolate brown. She was leaning back against the wall in her bed, tugging at a loose thread in the duvet cover.   
  
It was his turn to keep watch on her, make sure that she didn't get away. If Vapor turned up, Kurt only had to press the emergency button and the other X-men would soon join him.   
  
Darkside noticed that he was looking and turned her head to give him a quick glare. His eyes snapped back to the book he was reading. Well, holding. He couldn't concentrate properly, the words swimming across the page.  
  
"Whatcha readin'?" Darkside asked, still tugging on the thread. Kurt looked around the room to check she was actually speaking to him and not someone else. She eyed him. "Hey you, blue guy, I said whatcha readin'?"  
  
"Oh, erm…" Kurt had to turn the book over to look at the cover as the name slipped out of his mind like a goldfish. "Zhe Bible."  
  
"Oh right." She nodded. "Interesting." There was another long silence. Kurt silently apologized to the Lord for forgetting the name of the Bible, feeling extremely stupid. "What's your name, then?"  
  
"Kurt Wagner…" Kurt answered.   
  
"And what's your mutant name?"  
  
"Nightcravler. Its dumb izn't I…"   
  
"No it's pretty cool. It's better than mine anyway." Darkside shrugged, turning back to the thread. Another silence followed as Kurt tried to think of something to say.   
  
"So, erm… you and zhis Vapor are… togezher?" He asked quietly. Darkside burst out laughing.  
  
"No no no no no no!" She shook her head, still laughing. Kurt was glad he'd amused her, but couldn't help but feel she was laughing AT him. She stopped laughing, still smiling. "No, we're just good friends. He's sorta like my brother. I once used my mutant powers to sneak into a bank volt and steal twenty five thousand dollars. But the police came after me. Ben let me live with him to keep away from the cops." She shrugged. "I've lived with him ever since. Why do you think I'm trying to help him now? He helped me. I even call him 'master' sometimes." She grinned, but then turned away. "I shouldn't be talking to you."   
  
Kurt's face fell. "Vhy?"  
  
"You're an X-man. I'm supposed to kill you, not give you my life story."  
  
"Vell, zhank you for not killing me."  
  
"No problem." Darkside smiled at him, a smile that made him blush even harder. "Where'd you get those cool tattoos?" She indicated to the patterns snaking over his body.  
  
"Zhey aren't tattoos." Kurt looked at the floor. "I did zhem myself. Vun for each sin. So I have qvite a lot."   
  
"Can I see?" She waved him over. He hesitantly edged a bit closer to her. Although he wanted to move right up to her, Logan had INSISTED that he had kept his distance, in case she tried something. But all thoughts of Logan tumbled out of his mind. "They're beautiful." Darkside ran her hand down a long scratch on his cheek, surprised at the velvety feel of his skin.   
  
'Now! Do it now!' Darkside's brain screamed at her to just punch him and make a run for it. But for some reason she couldn't move, her forefinger still following a pattern down Kurt's cheek. Kurt looked at her and their eyes locked together.   
  
"Yoo-hoo!" A voice made both mutants push away from each other. Vapor was stood behind them, holding the lightning gun in his hand. He squinted at Darkside in confusion. "What are you doing, Darky?"   
  
"I, erm…" Darkside desperately tried to think of an answer. "Nothing."  
  
"Good. I've came to save you." He turned to Kurt. "Bye." A bullet of lightning crackled from the gun, shooting towards Kurt. But Kurt teleported across the room in a puff of blue smoke, reappearing by the door and quickly pressing the alarm button. Almost instantly, the metal door that Vapor had walked through opened and Wolverine, Rogue and Cyclops rushed in.   
  
"Like a fly to shit." Logan smiled at Rogue.   
  
"Hey, buddy, remember me?" Scott asked Vapor playfully.   
  
"Oooooh, yeah, the one I KO'd in ten seconds?" Vapor answered just as sarcastically. "Sure I remember you."   
  
"That won't happen again." Rogue snapped. "We know your weakness now. We could kill you."  
  
"Not if I kill you first." Vapor fired his gun again, catching Rogue off guard. It hit her in the shoulder, making her jerk back over a bed. Darkside started to jump up, but Logan grabbed her from behind, slamming her back down. He grabbed Kurt in the other hand, pushing them together. "Hold on to her." He snapped at him, who carefully gripped onto Darkside's arm. Scott helped Rogue up off the bed, then rounded on Vapor. He took a glass medicine bottle from the shelf and threw it at him as hard as he could. It hit Vapor in the chest, and for a few moments, his body flickered back to being solid. Logan took full advantage, grabbing him round the neck. But Vapor fought back, elbowing Logan in the chest and flipping him over his head onto a computer monitor.   
  
His body stared to turn transparent again. As Scott reached for another glass, Vapor kicked him hard in the stomach, then jerked his knee upwards to hit him in the face as he doubled over. But Rogue snatched a bottle instead, breaking it over Vapor's head. As he flickered solid, she gripped his face in her bare hands. Vapor gasped, veins creeping up his pale face. He froze, his skin turning blue.   
  
"NO!" Darkside easily pushed Kurt away from her and punched Rogue hard in the face, sending her reeling backwards. Ben dropped to the floor, drained of his energy. Darkside snatched the lightning gun from the holster around Vapor's waist and fired it at each X-men. Except Kurt. Rogue, Scott and Logan were all flung backwards, crashing through various equipment and smashing into the wall at the opposite end of the medical unit. When they got up, Darkside and Vapor were gone. Nightcrawler twisted his tail in his hands again.  
  
"Oops." He said quietly. "I zhink zhey're getting avay."   
  
~*~*~*  
  
Woohoo! Another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed that.   
  
The Kurt/Darkside pairing was by request by Soul Eater herself, who loves Kurt as much as I love Wolverine ^^ Well, maybe almost as much…  
  
By the way, what the hell does LMAO mean? Laugh My Arse Off or something?   
  
Please keep reading! 


	4. The plan

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all of the lovely reviews! Here's chapter 4, hope you like it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, never have, and unfortunately never will. Damn.  
  
Oh, and don't worry, nothing that big is gonna happen between Darkside and Kurt. Sorry, Souleater, honey.   
  
Enjoy.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Thanks for helping me, Darky." Ben was fully awake now. After he had collapsed in the medical unit, Darkside had dragged him back to their hiding place on the ground floor. Rogue had drained nearly all of his energy, and if she'd held on for much longer, she'd have killed him. "I'll just have to be more careful next time. Get rid of her first."  
  
Darkside nodded, not really listening. She was glad to be away from the medical unit, but her wounds were still hurting her. And for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about Nightcrawler. She knew she couldn't do anything about it. She was supposed to be the villain and here she was, falling for the good guy. Ben wouldn't be happy at all if he knew. Not that she was going to tell him anytime soon.  
  
"Darky?" Ben turned to look at her. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Huh?" Darkside blinked, snapping back to Earth. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"You sure? They didn't drug you did they?"  
  
"No." Darkside gave Ben a half-smile and leaned against the windowsill, her arms folded across her chest.   
  
"That blue thing-"  
  
"Nightcrawler."  
  
"Yeah, that's the one. He was getting way too close to you back there." He smiled. "It looked like he was about to kiss you or something."  
  
"Kurt and I were just-"  
  
"Kurt?" The smile fell from Ben's face. "So you're on first name terms with him are you?"  
  
"Don't be stupid, Ben." Darkside quickly looked at the floor, her heart hammering. "It was nothing. I was just looking at the killer tattoo things he has."  
  
"You weren't supposed to be looking at the killer tattoo things he has. You were in the perfect position to punch his lights out."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."  
  
"Too right it won't happen again." Ben walked to the opposite side of the window, looking out over the grounds. "I have a way to kill them without me even having to lift a fist."  
  
"How?" Darkside didn't like the sound of this.   
  
"The students." Ben replied simply. "We know where they are. We can hold them hostage."  
  
"But they're kids." Darkside protested, but Ben cut over her.  
  
"It's the perfect plan! Get the X-men to sacrifice themselves instead of the kids! Don't you see the beauty of this?"  
  
"No." Darkside shook her head, moving away from him. His hand grabbed her arm, swinging her back to face him.  
  
"You are going to help me, Darky." He hissed quietly. He had never been as rough with her before. Sure, he'd made jokes about kicking the crap out of her, but he'd never tried to threaten her.   
  
"What are you-" Darkside started to stammer, but Ben continued.  
  
"You will help me. You don't want something nasty to happen to you, do you?"   
  
Darkside shook her head quickly, her eyes wide. Ben let go of her.   
  
"Good." He walked past her. "You should try and get some rest. The room next door is free as well, I'll use that room." And he left her, walking through the wall.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Kurt twisted his tail in his hands. Wolverine had been very… well, lets just say 'mad' doesn't even begin to compare.  
  
He followed the silent group up the stairs towards to second floor. Rogue was holding Bobby's hand again and one of her shoulders was bandaged from where the lightning had hit her. Logan kept throwing him dirty looks. Professor Xavier had gone down to the ground floor to check on the children and the others had set off on yet another search for Vapor and Darkside. Only one thought crossed his mind. Darkside. He hadn't stopped thinking about her since she'd left the medical unit. Why hadn't she zapped him with the lightning gun as well? Did she feel something for him as well?   
  
'Don't be stupid, Kurt,' he thought, 'of course she doesn't. Vhy vud somevun like her fall for a guy like you?'  
  
His foot caught on something at the top of the stairs, sending him crashing to the floor. The others turned to look at him as he stumbled to his feet, blushing an even darker blue. Logan shook his head and continued down the hall.  
  
As he scrambled to his feet, something was pushed into his hand. He looked down to see a small piece of paper folded into a neat square. Making sure that the others couldn't see him, he lagged behind and unfolded the paper. A note was scrawled in what looked like very rushed handwriting.  
  
Sorry about the trip, but I had to get your attention. Meet   
  
me at seven, in the kitchen. Alone. Trust me.  
  
Mel  
  
"What are you doing back there?" Kurt looked up to see Logan's angry face. "You're holding us up."  
  
"Sorry, I'm comink." Kurt stuffed the paper into his trouser pocket and hurried after the group.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
The clock on the wall seemed to be taking years to tick away the minutes. Kurt stared at it as if it were about to explain the meaning of life in a one-second flash.   
  
He wasn't sure what was going to happen, and even if he entirely trusted her or not. But, being a teleporter, he could escape pretty quickly if it turned out to be a trick. 'Unless zhey grab you by zhe zhroat again…' Kurt thought, feeling very embarrassed as he remembered what happened the first time he had encountered Vapor and Darkside.   
  
The clock slowly ticked onto seven 'o' clock and Kurt's eyes snapped to the door as if she were about to just walk right in.   
  
The door opened and Kurt jumped to his feet, his heart pounding. But no one came through. 'It must be zhe vind…' Kurt moved to shut the door and a hand tapped him on the shoulder. He panicked and teleported to the top of the cupboard.   
  
"Woah, its only me!" Darkside merged out from the wall. Although she sounded cheerful, her face was riddled with worry.   
  
"Ich - I didn't see you come in." Kurt teleported from the cupboard to the floor, still standing a little way off. "Vhat's wrong?"  
  
"Its Ben." Darkside answered quickly, taking a step towards him. "He's gonna attack the kids downstairs."  
  
"Vhat? How?"   
  
"I don't know, but I shouldn't be in here. I promised I'd meet him there at 7:15." Darkside looked at the clock, which said 7:10. "Please, get the rest of the X-men together and get there first." She stared back towards the door, but Kurt stopped her by touching her shoulder.  
  
"Vait…" He said. Darkside turned back to him and smiled. "Vhy did you come to me? Vhy didn't you go to somevun else, like Storm?"  
  
"Let's just say, you're alright for an X-man." She smiled again and disappeared into the wall.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
"How long do we have to stay down here for, Professor Xavier?" Josie leapt up onto Xavier's lap, looking up at him with her big green eyes.   
  
"Not too long now, I expect." Xavier scratched the cat behind her ears and she purred happily.   
  
"Is it true that that guy can walk through things?" Another young mutant asked.   
  
"Yes." Xavier nodded.  
  
"B-But what if he walks through this wall into here?" Josie stammered. "Will he hurt us?"  
  
"Don't worry about that, children. If Ben does come down here, we have installed lasers in the walls that will alert us if he passes through them. And I'm sure Ben wouldn't want to hurt you."  
  
"Yes, that IS true, Professor." A voice spoke from behind him. Xavier and the students whirled around to see Vapor passing though the wall, wearing the silver Cerebro helmet. "I don't want to hurt them. But who said I don't want to hurt you?"  
  
"Ben, how did you get in here without the alarm going off?" Xavier asked, placing Josie on the floor, who scurried under his wheelchair.  
  
"That's the great thing about having an invisible sidekick who can follow you in and turn them off." Vapor nodded at the opposite wall. Darkside appeared, hanging her head. She hadn't wanted to do it, but he'd made her. Thank God she gave Kurt the note.  
  
"Now, I want you to do me a big favor." Vapor held up his slightly too familiar lightning gun. "Use your powers. Kill your little X-men buddies."  
  
"What?" Xavier stared up at him in disbelief. "I can't do -"  
  
"Don't give me that crap, I know you can." Vapor signaled to Darkside, who miserably grabbed one of the students by the scruff of the neck, twisted him around and held onto his arms. Vapor aimed the gun at him. "Do it, or I kill them all."  
  
"Ben, think about what you're doing?"  
  
"Why should I?" Vapor hissed, his scarlet eyes narrowing. "You didn't stop to think about saving my family."  
  
"We couldn't save Jason, or your father." Xavier replied soothingly. "We had to get away quickly on both occasions-"  
  
"-Shut up, I don't want to hear excuses."   
  
"We can't leave you alone for five minutes, professor." Vapor turned his head slowly at the sound of Rogue's voice. The X-men were standing in the doorway, each of them holding glass bars. Kurt gave Darkside a small wave. Rogue smiled sweetly at Vapor. "Hey there, sugar. We came prepared this time."  
  
Vapor spun his hand around to fire at them, but Logan lashed out with the glass, knocking the gun flying. Logan took another swing at him, but Vapor managed to duck beneath it, swiping Logan's feet from under him.   
  
Storm and Scott threw themselves at him, ducking under Vapor's attacks and swinging the glass. Bobby and Rogue advanced on Darkside, who dropped the student quickly, holding her hands up innocently. Kurt stepped in front of her.   
  
"She's not goink to hurt us." He protested. Rogue glowered at her over Kurt's shoulder.   
  
"Try telling me that a few hours ago in the medical room." She growled. "The gun hurts ya know."  
  
"I'm sorry, honestly." Darkside dodged behind Kurt.  
  
Meanwhile, Scott, Storm and Logan were still taking wild swings at Vapor, desperately trying to make one of them connect. Vapor suddenly noticed that instead of kicking their butts, Darkside was actually TALKING to the enemy. Unfortunetly, he waited a second to long and one of Storm's swings smacked him full force in the head, knocking him backwards.   
  
He glared at them all, rubbing his head.  
  
Storm smiled at her glass pole satisfyingly. "Double glazing always works."  
  
Vapor suddenly wheeled around, catching Bobby and Rogue in the chest. He knocked Kurt out of the way and grabbed Darkside's arm. Darkside pulled herself away.  
  
"What are you doing?" Vapor screamed, grabbing her again.   
  
"I'm NOT coming with you!" Darkside wrenched her arm away. Vapor roared in anger, punching her across the jaw. She slumped down and he caught her in his arms.  
  
Her body went white and transparent, like his. Vapor waved at the X-men before sinking through the floor, taking Darkside with him.  
  
"Shit!" Logan flung his pole at the wall angrily. "They've gotten away again!"  
  
"We can still catch up with him." Xavier wheeled forward. "He has gone insane, we have to end this madness tonight."  
  
"What room's below us?" Bobby asked. Scott clicked his fingers.  
  
"The garage!" He exclaimed. "My bike's down there, he'd better not touch it."  
  
"Let's get down there." Xavier turned to the students. "Are you alright?"  
  
The students stared back at him, silent and open-mouthed. Josie nodded mutely.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Sorry that chapter took so long. When I rule the world, I will ban homework to school hell.  
  
I hope you like the story so far. The next chapter is the last, the final face off between Vapor and the X-men.   
  
Please review!  
  
Taz 


	5. The face off

Final chapter! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Which means very much ^^  
  
Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Ben landed gracefully on the garage floor, still holding the dazed Mel. She shook her head, rubbing her jaw where Ben had punched her. Ben dropped his arms, making Mel stumble backward.   
  
"What the hell was that about up there?" Ben hissed, glaring daggers at her. She glared back.   
  
"Why did you do that?" She snapped. "I don't want to fight them."  
  
"Is that it, or do you just not want to fight your precious Kurty?"   
  
Mel blushed. "Leave Nightcrawler out of this."  
  
"It's the truth. You chose him over me, Mel. And I have no time for quitters." Ben could hear the X-men's feet pounding down the corridor on the opposite side of the wall. He looked at her thoughtfully. "I think I'll kill him first."   
  
"No!" Mel could feel herself getting hot, her face flushing with blood.  
  
"You, second."   
  
"You can't -"  
  
"-Watch me."  
  
As soon as the metal door of the garage whirred open, Ben sprung forward. He placed his feet firmly on Bobby's chest then backflipped, pushing his legs forward. Poor Bobby was flung out of the garage before he'd even came in.   
  
Logan whipped his claws out and attacked, swinging them at him as hard as he could. Ben turned to vapor, the claws passing through him. Then he turned and delivered a powerful spin kick to Logan, who crashed backwards and landed on Bobby.   
  
Nightcrawler already knew that Ben was heading for him. He teleported away just as Ben lashed out, leaving the smell of burning brimstone behind him.   
  
Storm and Scott both lunged for him, Storm wielding the glass tube and Scott waiting to blast him as soon as he turned solid. But Ben was too angry, too determined. He ducked under Storm's swing, spinning around to her back and karate chopping the back of her neck. She was flung forward with a yelp, sprawling into Scott.   
  
Mel hovered in the background, too scared to move. Kurt appeared beside her.   
  
"Hi." Was all she could stammer. Before he could reply, a solid fist slammed into his face, reeling him backwards. Ben, who had turned solid again, grabbed Mel by the throat, lifting her off her feet. She coughed and choked, banging her fists on his chest as hard as she could, but her life was slowly starting to slip away.  
  
But then he dropped her as Kurt's tail wrapped around his ankle and pulled hard, tipping him off his feet with a crash.   
  
Logan jumped on his back, pinning him down.  
  
"Its over, kid." He snarled, pushing Ben's head down. But Ben leapt up with a burst of strength, throwing Logan off him.   
  
"Not yet." Ben grabbed a screwdriver from a nearby shelf and lunged at Logan with it. Logan lifted his legs, catching Ben in the stomach and throwing him over his head. Ben crashed in Rogue, crushing her against a car windshield.   
  
Bobby ran forward, pulling her up. His face twisted in anger and he spun around, sending an iceball towards Ben. Ben ducked and the iceball hit Storm, who was just about to hit Ben over the head with the glass pole.  
  
Logan looked at Ben, who had turned to Vapor again, and to Rogue lying on the windshield. Then his head swiveled to a car closest to him.   
  
"Is there a lightbulb over my head?" He asked. Scott looked at him.   
  
"You have an idea?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully.  
  
"No, I'm actually asking you if I have a lightbulb over my head." Logan answered sarcastically. "Of course I have an idea."  
  
Scott ignored the dig, knowing it wasn't the time. "What is it?"  
  
Logan glanced from Vapor, who was fighting Storm, to the car. Understanding dawned on Scott's face.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" He protested. "That's my car!"  
  
But Logan was already opening the front door, jumping into the leather seat.   
  
"My keys are upstairs." Scott stared forward, but Logan flicked out a knife and slammed it into the gearbox. The car spluttered to life as Scott winced.   
  
Ben swung his fist, knocking the glass out of Storm's hand and then kicked his leg out, smashing it into her chest. She was catapulted away and smashed into Nightcrawler.   
  
A loud beep ripped through Ben's ears and he spun around just in time to see a pair of headlights come blasting in his direction.  
  
"NO!" Mel screamed. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill her, she felt herself rush forward, trying to push Ben out of the way. Her eyes widened as she realized she was too late. The car sped past her, the wingmirror clipping her arm as it whizzed by. She felt her arm snap as she jerked, the world tilting as she fell to the floor.  
  
The car smashed straight into Ben. His legs passed through the body of the car, but his chest smashed into the windshield, taking him with it as it careered into a wall.   
  
The room fell totally silent as the incident sunk in.  
  
Then Scott made a strange squeak, like a mouse being stepped on, and hurried to his wrecked car.  
  
Logan opened the door of the car and stepped put, brushing himself down. Storm looked at him accusingly as she hurried to Ben, who had turned solid, blood trickling down a gash on his forehead. She pulled him up off the cracked windshield, pressing her fingers to his pulse. Everyone stared at her, waiting.   
  
"He's alive." She gave Logan a 'look'. "But only just."  
  
Nightcrawler dropped down by Mel, who was still out clod, her arm at an odd angle. He lifted her head onto his knee.   
  
Rogue bent down beside him. "Is she alright?"   
  
"Ja, I zhink so." He whispered quietly.   
  
"We need to get these to a hospital straight away." Storm sent a mini tornado to lift Ben into the air like a stretcher. "Then, this one needs to go to a prison."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Ben sighed deeply, banging his bandaged head slowly against a wall. The glass prison would hold him for long enough. Long enough for him to think of a better plan, anyway.   
  
He shifted on his glass chair, giving the security guards cold glares as they passed.  
  
Mel avoided his eyes, in a normal prison cell opposite him. She would be let out tomorrow, with a warning. He was set here for the next 10 long years.  
  
How dare she leave him. She will pay. Nightcrawler was a close second, Wolverine bringing up third.   
  
One way or another, all the X-men were going to get what was coming to them. He would make sure.  
  
Not one messes with a Stryker and gets away with it.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
WOOHOO! My first ever X-men fic done and dusted! I hope you all liked it, thanks so much for all my wonderful reviews.   
  
I am currently writing a new X-men fic, so keep you eyes peeled for more of my fics coming soon!  
  
You should read my friends X-men fics, Koburn and Cyrus-Oz. Both of them are brilliant authors. Oh and don't forget Soul Eater, who's writing an X-men Q&A!   
  
Love you all, thanks again!  
  
Tatum 


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